OPINION

The TEFL challenge

The initiative to train Thai teachers in TEFL teaching to reduce the reliance on foreign teachers sounds promising, but the Ministry of Education is missing the point. English language tuition here is driven by the commercial sector, with parents paying enormous levies for their children to learn from native speakers, preferably Westerners. In other words, they expect a "white face" for their hard-earned baht. It’s superficial, and explains why there’s widespread discrimination against qualified Philippine teachers who work for lower wages, en masse, and solve the problem. But the TCT now expects them to have a Master's in Education before licensing them. In May, there was a crisis-like TEFL teacher shortage, which caused the industry to become flooded with gap-year students qualified with cheap "online" TEFL certificates. Those trained properly with a 120-hour practicum-driven course generally do a better job than locals, and teach using modern and effective methods. Thai teachers clearly have their work cut out for them if they are to compete.

A TEFL administrator

Barely a week after a report on the poor performance of Thailand in teaching its citizens to learn English, the Education Ministry has announced its quick-fix plan to teach 500 Thai teachers in six weeks how to teach English to Thai students.

The problem is that on lunch or coffee breaks, these teachers will not be speaking English. Their phone calls will be in Thai and when they return home they will speak Thai. This “quick-fix” will not work long term.

The only programme that gets results in teaching a language in six to eight weeks is the world-famous Middlebury College's “total immersion” concept in Vermont, US. Students are housed together and are banned from speaking their native language inside the residence or when they venture outside. All classes are exclusively in the “new language". Ten languages are taught and Middlebury attracts students worldwide.

As has been pointed out, Thai teachers teach students English grammar but not speaking abilities. When I learned Spanish during university in the US, I was required to use a language lab to listen and speak Spanish. In my last teaching assignment at a Thai school several years ago, I was troubled that students were not speaking English. I asked the school principal if they had a language lab. She said with a giggle, “Yes, we do, but we never use it.” Thailand needs to improve its physical infrastructure as well as the mental infrastructure of its students.

David Swartzentruber

Re: “English sadly lacking”, (PostBag, Nov 12). I would like to point out that the core essence of my message was clearly decipherable despite the mistaken use of "waver" instead of "waiver". To focus on a small error and ignore the importance of the bigger picture suggests the pedantic nature of the writer and his self-aggrandisement. As the rest of the language I used was flawless, Chris Boyle’s suggestion that English is "sadly lacking" is both incongruous and pitiful.

Ajarn Dee

Re: "Learn arithmetic", (PostBag, Nov 13).

Matizz does calculate the correct answer but I’m sure he meant to say 1,000-baht notes (not 100), 1.2 plus 8 zeroes (not 1 plus 9 zeroes) and 19 with 4 zeros (not 5).

Shane

Please bear with me, because I am a bit confused. Last week the army denied any corruption had tainted the construction of the impressive Rajabhakti Park. Then this week the army suddenly launched an investigation into corruption at the same park (BP, Nov 13).

Is this not an illogical and sudden reversal? Doesn't this damage the army’s image? Wouldn’t simple transparency just work better for everyone?

Michael Setter

The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONREPP) continues to avoid answering the simple question — a prerequisite to the environmental impact assessment of building a high-rise building. “What is the rule of law [on a particular stretch of high-profile land in central Bangkok]?” The developers, hotel “owners” and operators continue to gamble with the lives of residents, visitors and pedestrians on a daily basis. Complaints go unheeded and the police and other authorities do nothing, either through improbity or impotence. A whistleblower falsely accused of defamation is now blacklisted. Embassies have failed to investigate or issue health and safety warnings to international travellers.

Leasehold property investors in central Bangkok should check carefully whether the EIA certification is valid, study the contract and building insurance and even probe the real properly owners. Investigate whether common law applies in the area and whether it can be practically applied when laws are broken. Beware of totally corrupt processes unmired by the rule of law.

Yet another cover-up of massive proportions, involving numerous entities, looks to be manifesting. Certainly, the evidence demonstrates that there is no rule of law in parts of central Bangkok and ONREPP’s silence appears to suggest agreement on this. By hook or by crook a reliable answer to the question must and will be found. To accomplish this is very much in the public interest.

John Shepherd

If you have not yet been mesmerised by the traditional khon performance held at the Thailand Cultural Centre, you should not miss this mind-blowing opportunity to experience true magic.

Not only are the performers of this ancient art form highly skilled, but the costuming, special effects and stage props are surreal.

It is as if one has been transported into a dreamworld filled with characters such as Lord Rama, Hanuman and Thosakan. Additional enjoyment can be gleaned from the live musicians playing traditional Thai instruments and singing ancient songs.

Leon Sexton

Re: “Kosovo fails in Unesco membership bid”, (BP, Nov 9). As someone who has visited Kosovo and observed firsthand the massive destruction and defacing of Serbian Orthodox Christian cultural monuments at the hands of Kosovo’s Albanians, I am delighted Unesco did the right thing by not allowing Kosovo membership in its ranks. Admitting Kosovo into Unesco would be tantamount to condoning the destruction of over 130 Serbian Orthodox Christian churches, monasteries and other Serbian cultural monuments (some of which were over 1,300 years old) while the illegal Albanian-dominated “government” of Kosovo was in charge.

Those who seek to destroy cultural monuments have no business being rewarded with membership in organisations that are dedicated to safekeeping them.

Michael Pravica

We see every week several conferences convened to try to solve migration problems — the latest about refugee children was held at a resort on the Dead Sea.

All of these events seem to be held in exotic locations; Geneva, Bangkok, Tokyo, Paris, London and so on. The meetings are also hosted by prestigious convention centres and involve considerable travel and accommodation costs. In today's interconnected world, why aren’t events held by video conferencing, which would save huge expense that would be better spent on the topics discussed?

Bernie Hodges

I recently went to the newish shopping mall on the corner of Sukhumvit and Witthayu, opposite Wave Place. The architects must be delighted with how their designs have been put into practice with wide open spaces with a smattering of character. Retail outlets themselves are likely to win awards as the cleanest and tidiest in the city, despite the lack of customers. At those prices, who can be surprised? The only perplexing thing is why the soundtrack over the PA system broadcasts a noise resembling a factory production line in operation. It is hardly conducive to relaxed shopping — window or otherwise. But then, what do I know? I am only a member of the public.

Warner

The report about teachers’ massive debts (ThaiPulse, Nov 10) had special interest for me. I was glad to hear of a university lecturer who owned her own home and had other assets. We farangs hear about women who see us as walking ATM machines. You can imagine my surprise to learn why this professor does small translating jobs, sells bottles of gas from her porch and scrounges for any tutoring jobs she can get. Her employer, the government university, loaned her too much money secured by her pay cheque. Now she only receives $5 (35 baht) per month — the rest goes to pay off her loans. She will be well past retirement age when she is debt-free. Third-world borrowers may not have good personal finance skills, but how can a lender be so irresponsible?

John Kane

Re: “Correcting a biased view of the Shinawatras”, (PostBag, Oct 29).

Mr Barlow is incorrect in saying Thailand's rural poor has been pitted against the Thai elite since democracy was birthed in Thailand; that nobody cared about the rural poor until Thaksin came and that they hardly bothered to vote.

It is equally incorrect to say that Thaksin acknowledged the division in Thai society, and for the first time in history attempted to improve the lot of the poor majority.

I do not know how long Mr Barlow has been living in Thailand to interpret these happenings, or who gave him such information.

But there were no class differences in our society after King Rama V peacefully ended slavery and eradicated the class-based society.

Before Thaksin, the Thai nation lived in relative harmony. There was no difference whether you were rich or poor, educated or uneducated, influential or not influential and whether you were Thai or foreigner.

The elite class, or ammart status, was in fact introduced by the red shirts. They deliberately set out to divide our society, create hatred and separate rural Thais from the urban Thais.

As an former officer for the Ministry of Interior for 37 years, I organised or supervised the general elections before my retirement. Until 1997, general elections fell under the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior.

Rural people were eager to cast their votes. But because they were close to their village heads, schoolteachers, monks and government officers, they respected their advice and followed them.

Only those who sold their votes to canvassers, or were threatened by influential people, had to do what they were told.

There are good and bad people in every society, and past governments did not do enough to quell the bad people.

People in the countryside were fooled by red politicians into the kind of life that put them in debt and taught them to live on credit.

Poor farmers fell headfirst into the traps set by red politicians. They began to mortgage their land with government banks. Eventually these banks went bankrupt and were sold off to the public.

It was the cruellest way to take farmers’ lands and make profits from state-owned properties. If the military had not intervened, Thais today would still be fighting among themselves with the North, Isan province and possibly also the South.

Thailand would likely have become a fragmented nation, a failed state. Most Thai people recognise this, and support what the current government is trying to do for the country.

Populist policies are acceptable to a degree provided there is no corruption in their implementation. The rice scheme would not have been not bad if it had been done properly, and for the benefit of the people.

But corruption was widespread and billions of baht went into the pockets of rogue politicians. The prime minister was fair by not using his special powers to punish the previous government, but instead leaving the decision to the Court of Justice. History will decide who was right and who was wrong.

Dusit Thammaraks

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